First meeting with Artist, Academic, and Human Rights Activist Lionel Bopage!
By L Murugapoopathy
You may not have forgotten the armed rebellion by disaffected mostly unemployed Sinhalese youth that took place in southern Sri Lanka in April 1971, more than 20 years after Sri Lanka was granted independence.
The 1971 struggle was led by poor, middle-class university students in the south who had limited job opportunities after completing their studies. In a short time, the uprising was overcome by severe government repression.
Those who were arrested were Rohana Wijeweera, Lionel Bopage, D. I. G. Dharmasekara, Victor Ivan, Upatissa Gamanayake and many others. Among them was Rohana Wijeweera who studied at Lumumba University in the Soviet Union. He had just returned from his studies. Lionel Bopage studied at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Peradeniya. I got to know these names through the proceedings of the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) which was headed by Chief Justice H. N. G. Fernando (Chairperson). Other members of the CJC were Justice A. C. Alles, Justice V T Thamotheram, Justice H Deheragoda and Justice T. W. Rajaratnam (who was later replaced by Justice D. Wimalaratne).
Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, and Communist Party coalition government that was in power during that time was led by their leaders Mrs Sirima Bandaranayake, Dr N. M. Perera and Mr Peter Keuneman. Comrade Bala Tampoe appeared for several political prisoners.
Nevertheless, thousands of young men and women were shot dead and several thousands of youths were imprisoned for long periods of time. Many bodies were found floating in the rivers of Kelani and Menik.
During that time, a beauty queen named Premawathi Manamperi, who was crowned at the Sinhala New Year celebrations in Kataragama, was tortured, possibly raped and paraded naked through the streets, and killed by the army.
I have written a short story titled “Ganga's Daughter” (“Gangage Duvaniya” in Sinhala) which depicts the sad story of this girl.
Demands for releasing political prisoners started gathering momentum and I was heavily involved in this movement.
This movement was spearheaded by Comrade Linus Jayathilake who operated from the head office of the Ceylon Teachers Union situated on Malay Street, Colombo. My name was also included along with the names of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Kumari Jayawardena, and Dinesh Gunawardena (the current Prime Minister of Sri Lanka). I also worked for some time with the Ceylon Teachers Union. In addition, I was on the editorial board of the “Voice of Teachers” (ගුරු හඬ), the news journal of the union. Comrade B. A. Kader, currently residing in England, conducted classes and explained the principle of the right to self-determination.
The left parties in the coalition government suffered a crushing defeat in the 1977 General Elections. Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike's Sri Lanka Freedom Party secured only very few seats. So, Mr A Amirthalingam of the Tamil United Liberation Front became the Leader of the Opposition. The crusade for the release of political prisoners was taken up by the United National Party (UNP) led by Mr J R Jayawardena, during their election campaign.
Since the UNP secured an absolute majority in that election, political prisoners from Bogambara in Kandy, Jaffna Fort, and Welikada and Magazine prisons in Colombo were released. Comrade Lionel Bopage was one of those released.
One day in 1978, while I was working at Virakesari, the security guard on duty at the gate informed me that there was someone who had come to see me. So, I walked over and met him. The gentleman introduced himself as Lionel Bopage. We shook hands. He said that the then President of the Ceylon Teachers Union, H. N. Fernando and then Secretary Chitral Perera had told him about me. Rohana Wijeweera was married to H.N. Fernando's younger sister.
Comrade Lionel, whom I first met in 1978, is still in contact with me in Melbourne. Our deep affection and companionship for each other continues to this day.
The JVP organised a massive May Day rally in 1983. The government of J.R. Jayawardene (J.R.) panicked seeing the huge support building up around the JVP. J. R. seized the moment in July 1983 and proscribed the People's Liberation Front. Lionel Bopage was detained once more.
After being released, Lionel resigned from the JVP due to the differences he had developed with the JVP leadership. Subsequently, due to the death threats to his life and his family were subjected to, his employer, Sarvodaya Economic Enterprises Development Services (SEEDS) sent him to Japan. From there he had to come to Australia, where he continued his studies and gained his PhD.
45 years ago, I accepted his call and joined the editorial board of the news organ of the People's Liberation Front, “Sen Sakthi”. I also assisted him with translation work.
Comrade Lionel Bopage is an artist and literary enthusiast who writes knowledgeably and eruditely on a wide variety of subjects.
He and his fellow prisoners used to sing patriotic and other songs while they were held as prisoners. Some wrote songs, and some composed music while behind bars by drumming on empty plates and cans. After his release, he initiated a collective effort to organise a group to perform those songs. Several fellow prisoners and several other comrades joined in this effort. He led this collective, which was later named “Songs of Liberation” (Vimukthi Gee). Many of those in the collective became composers, singers and band members. This performance planted the seeds for progressive thinking among the oppressed people of Sri Lanka. “Songs of Liberation” was performed in public close to 200 times throughout the island from 1978 to 1983.
Even now, members of progressive movements commemorate those who sacrificed their lives during the April 1971 uprising and these songs are sung at these gatherings. Songs such as "Velupillai Anna, pardon me..." and "Sister Manamperi..." are popular. Comrade Lionel and his wife Chitra are talented singers too.
Today he lives in exile in Australia where he works for inter-communal harmony in the diaspora community. He is a passionate and independent activist who has advocated and struggled for social justice, a fair- go and equity of opportunity for the oppressed in the world, where consumerism and profit maximisation have become humanity's predominant and toxic social values.
When we held the fourth Tamil Writers Festival in Canberra in 2004, Lionel arranged the hall facilities for that event and also accommodated some of us at his home. He also delivered a speech at this event. In addition, he actively participated and spoke at the seminar organised by the Australian Tamil Literary Society in Melbourne on the “Translated Works of Literature”.
He also led a campaign, in front of the Department of Immigration and Immigration in Melbourne, demanding the release of Tamil refugees who had been detained on Christmas Island. This campaign catalysed the release of 80 Tamil refugees and subsequently, Lionel took part in a dinner organised at “Lentils As Anything” restaurant in Abbotsford, Victoria to celebrate the release of those refugees.
Furthermore, Lionel took part in a function in Melbourne, which was organised to commemorate a significant milestone in my literary journey and he delivered the welcome speech.
When the Covid epidemic was spreading in Sri Lanka, Comrade Lionel took the initiative to assist them by convening a collective under the banner of ‘Sri Lanka Covid Aid’ in collaboration with Rotary International, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka.
As Sri Lanka celebrates its 75th anniversary of Independence, Lionel Bopage wrote an article recently in English, Sinhala and Tamil titled “A Reflection: 75 Years Of Independence Lacked By The People Of Sri Lanka” (https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/a-reflection-75-years-of-independence-lacked-by-the-people-of-sri-lanka/), which was well received.
Michael Cooke in collaboration with Lionel authored a comprehensive 565-page biography titled ‘The Lionel Bopage Story’.
Lionel is a multitalented individual: composer, engineer, manager, an independent political activist, a singer, community and social activist, a writer, an academic, and a professional business and public administrator. He has described himself as follows:
“I am passionate about social justice, fair-go and equity of opportunity in this world where absolute uniformism, consumerism, and maximisation of profits have become the sole values of human society. I firmly believe that advances in science and technology, and improvements in productivity and competitiveness need to be holistically used mainly for the benefit of the world, not for its destruction.”
The end
No comments:
Post a Comment